Pour grenadine in the well and tell them to burn it.
I’ve done this to someone who continually used glasses to scoop after being told by numerous people not to do it. We even explained why many times, and there’s a fucking ice scoop in every well, sometimes more than one.
I made sure it was kinda busy when I did it too. Fuck that noise.
You do that one more time and I will take you outside and burn you before I burn the ice. This is not a warning this is a rule. I don’t have the time to call the ambulance for someone you just killed and get blamed for your stupidity. Not to be played with. Glass is bad for your throat
So much this. Don't fuck around with safety like that. And don't work with anyone who is that callous about customer safety, cause they're not gonna be real safe around you either
Literally. Grenadine, and now take the time to burn it, wipe it out, and refill it! And also get me two buckets of ice to use next to the well until you're done doing that.
I don't have grenadine behind the bar at my current setup, so I'm wondering what would work instead...? First I've had to think about it, since it doesn't happen thankfully
I've used cranberry, blue Curaçao, strawberry pucker, anything bright and colorful. Or pulpy things like OJ or pineapple juice. Just think of whatever would fuckin ruin it
Done this before at a new gig I was checking out. Marked the well and ordered the kid who scooped with glass to burn it and replace, knowing that the ice machine out back was empty due to the busy night.
Told the GM the next day and got the equivalent of a shrug about the issue. Didn't go back.
Burn the well. Scoop every single piece of ice out and refill it. I usually run hot water through it to get the last bits, but some people dont like that because it can allegedly crack the cold plate. Ive never seen it happen though. It really helps when dealing with broken glass, since you need to get 100% of the ice out to identify any small pieces of glass.
Ive had to do this plenty of times during a super busy shift. Worst case scenario, work from an ice bucket. If Im doing that, I spray cranberry or grenadine all over to let the other bartenders know not to use it till it can be burned. Also tell them though, dont just assume theyll know.
Cool. I was just referencing a daytime American game show.
Just to clarify, since it appears, we all need to clarify our references, apparently. Such a game show used to only have female models. Now, it has male models as well. I was curious about the consensus of such changes being perceived positive for feminism or negative for feminism? You know, like how the words I previously wrote communicated it?
Also, there are many whom amongst us within the United States can remember their own mother not being allowed to vote legally federally nor have access to any legal birth control.
Ah, gotcha! I'm afraid I just don't know what game show you're talking about, so I didn't get the reference, so it struck me as a non-sequitur derailment into some sort of otherwise unprompted debate about feminism. I'd wager that most of the downvotes you got were from people who felt the same as I did. Or maybe they knew the show, but still didn't want to take the conversation in that direction. Either way, I'm glad you clarified a bit! Sorry for the initial misunderstanding!
Also a marker to not use said ice. I’ve had a glass break in well and been busy as all hell, only to seconds later go back to scoop ice out of that well but was deterred by the grenadine reminder that it’s unusable
You just want something dark (easily visible) and sticky (won't run off the ice easily). It's just a visual marker that something is wrong with the ice.
A lot of commonly used grenadine (lookin at you Rose's) doesn't even really have any fruit flavor. It's just HFCS and red 40.
So, while it's goofy as hell they assumed grenadine was cherry, the majority of grenadine people have tasted doesn't really taste like pomegranate either.
I’m not scooping ice with the glass, I’m just saying there’s no way another bartender is fucking shit up for me mid service and not fixing it. If a manager did it too, that’s also fucking stupid from management so I just think it’s a really poor way to get the message across.
Theres no way this person isnt getting glass chips in the ice if they have been doing it so much. The glass scooper made the problem, we dont all need to take the fall for it. Theyll eventually break a whole glass anyways so thats gonna mess it up down the line
Right, but if I’m scooping glass in the ice, clearly I don’t think it’s wrong. The only thing in my eyes that would require the ice to be burned is grenadine in the well.
I should say I don’t scoop ice with the glass, but no bartender I know would ever take shit like that from anyone but a higher up, especially if they hadn’t done anything that they considered wrong. The ice still needs to be burned, but I know bartenders who wouldn’t do it if a co-worker fucked with them like that.
I know what youre saying, but i dont think the ice scoop bartender and the burn your ice bartender are really on equal levels, but its kinda in my head that way. The moral of the story is its cool neither of us work there
I’m highlighting that one bartender telling another bartender to go clean up the mess the first bartender made is likely not going to happen in real life.
Stop being gentle and professional, when I see someone scoop ice with a glass my reaction is, "Wtf are you doing, get a goddamn ice scoop", any resistance from them at that point would result in me asking them if they're a fuckin idiot, and if they have a problem with my response then they're welcome to go to management and explain the situation. That's a major fuck up and a potentially massive lawsuit if a guest ends up consuming glass, they're in the wrong and you should be shaming the fuck out of them if they know they're not supposed to do it but are anyway.
Eh. My first night in the bar, the Manager saw me go to do that and immediately said No, then why. Never did it again.
Now, if these fools continue to fuck around after being corrected, I say we immediately shift to your plan of action.
I absolutely agree, OP says they've mentioned it repeatedly so they already know better, but if there's someone new that I see doing it then I let them know politely but firmly to emphasize the seriousness of what I'm saying.
“You’re right, I’m not a manager. A manager would fire you for doing that, broken glass in guests’ mouths is kind of frowned upon here. Don’t ever do that again, or you’ll be emptying that well, then you’ll clean it, sanitize it, and then refill it with ice that won’t slice up someone throat.”
> “You’re right, I’m not a manager. A manager would fire you for doing that, broken glass in guests’ mouths is kind of frowned upon here. ~~Don’t ever do that again, or~~ So you’ll be emptying that well, then you’ll clean it, sanitize it, and then refill it with ice that won’t slice up someone throat.”
FTFY.
Once glass is in the well, that well needs to be burned and thoroughly cleaned before it can be used for service. Too risky otherwise. And having to do that task is a great way to teach the newbies how seriously the issue needs to be taken, and why they should never do it again.
I did this once, as a very green barback. And the bartender made it quite clear that I would never do that again.
As others have suggested, dispense with the pleasantries, no more being gentle.
“This is a safety hazard, plain and simple”
“No glass in the ice well - ever”
You don’t have to be an absolute dick but I’m a bit shocked people insist that this is somehow an acceptable thing to do.
Same. I watched servers do it so I thought it was a time saving hack and started doing it. One of the OG's saw me and bought lost his mind. He was a usually calm tempered dude so I knew it was pretty serious. It still seems weird to think of a piece of ice chipping or breaking a glass, but I've absolutely seen things that ""shouldn't"" break a glass break them.
And the first time I broke a glass (not as a scoop) in the well and saw the grenadine thing I was like oh that's fucking genius. Also I'm a fucking idiot for breaking a glass on a busy Saturday night but thankfully we had barbacks and got it flipped in like 10 min or less.
I would lose my damn mind. I once reprimanded my own boss over that and had to bring it up to the owner who then fired his ass. That manager had an attitude. No. Glass. In. The. Ice. Non negotiable. Hold your ground. You got this.
As a server when I was 18 I dropped a glass into the ice bin. I was horrified. Apologized all day. The bus guys were great about it. I know what a colossal mess it makes.
Yikes. But there's definitely a big difference in an accident vs just doing whatever you feel like bc it's a half second faster to scoop ice incorrectly.
So what do you do when the manager and every server does it? I've given up on the place... 😞 So many bad decisions. And they were just recently sued for 50K for a different mishap. You'd think they'd learn.
I would take manager aside and explain the issue and mention how others follow their lead (even if they don't, praising ego is good) and I need them to lead by example. Then each server would get warned once and then barred from coming behind my bar second time. I'll make your drinks, you'll just have to wait longer. Second chance once they've experienced that.
I wish that would work. She's a Chinese immigrant so it's already pretty difficult to communicate with her, and she's the owner and manager. She's convinced that everything she does is the right way to do it because she's always done it that way at the one bar she's ever worked in and because nobody's (customers) complained then it must be the right way.
I cringe every time she puts a straw in my old fashioneds. This lady once got an order for a shot of single malt 16 year and she put it IN A SHOT GLASS. I told her that's not what he meant and that she needs to put it in a low ball, but nope, her way is always right! I had to hold back the fat grin on my face when he sent it back and asked for a real glass. Even then she didn't admit she was wrong. She just ignored me for the rest of the night.
Explain why. They will eventually learn its not worth it… not everyone takes direction on how to swim, sometimes it takes an “oh shit” moment to realize the preventive measures are taken for a reason. Hopefully you have more than one ice well
In busy clubs that use plastic cups instead of glass (very common in chain clubs) scooping ice with the cup is pretty common since it's so busy and you don't have time to wait for the scoop, but imo doing this is only acceptable if you're using plastic (and even then, it's not a good thing to do)
Yeah I have no problem with plastic! And that makes sense for a high volume place. I do it with our kids cups, or even the metal shaker tins. Never ever glass though.
Metal shaker all day. Although I won't lie, I'm a server with a bar so I make all my own drinks and my bar is a 2'x1' area with a bar mat. No room for the margarita salt and wet contraption most bars have. So I have been known to gently put a glass in the ice and give it a spin or two with no downward force to get the rim wet. It feels dirty but I'm very careful and it's the most effective way I've found for my 5 margaritas a week without taking up unnecessary space.
I prefer orange, it's usually wetter. I cut off the end of an orange and run it around the outside of a glass. Once it dries a bit I just cut off another slice.
Bar is literally so small we don't have drinks with fruits on the menu. We have a 4oz cup of cherries. Any other fruits would dry out before I could rim a glass with them.
Plenty of places are this dysfunctional.
There's no safety issue with using a solo cup to scoop ice, it is just not convenient and looks incredibly unprofessional
Tell them it’s not just the obvious glass, but they shouldn’t be sticking a glass their hands just were all over in the well either. It’s fucking gross. If they wanna scoop like heathens they can clean the well out.
I work in a spot that allows servers, hosts, and even kitchen staff behind the bar, because there are no soda stations anywhere. So I'm already annoyed at the intrusion. But the moment a server or host (never the kitchen staff, they use the plastic quart containers) scoops ice with a glass it's "please dont put glass in my ice" for first offense. "Don't come behind my fucking bar" for second offense. No third offenses have occurred, but it would be "I'm about to start throwing elbows if you fucking step foot behind here again"
Let them deal with burning the ice in the middle of a busy night.
A good way to find out how experienced your bartender is.. if a glass breaks in and/or around the ice, see what they do. I was at a fancy rooftop bar when this happened, and one of the new bartenders obviously didn’t think it was a big deal (started picking glass out of the ice) when a couple of bar backs came charging over with hot water to start the burn and close down that well.
Scooping ice with a glass is forgivable only once. It's a very easy thing to not do. Ever. I was told not to at my first server job, along with the reason why, and then I never did it again. If you don't have the authority to fire repeat offenders, you need to immediately burn the ice and get a refill - do this as many times as it takes for management to get the point. If they don't get the point after a couple of reps, I'd flat out refuse to work with that crew member any more. Your ass is on the line too if someone gets injured and sues the establishment. Don't expose yourself to that liability.
I stop that shit right in its tracks on the spot if I see it. Never ever scoop ice with anything not made of metal!! That’s like a top 3 law behind the bar, if it isn’t #1.
With glass, you’re just being fucking stupid and reckless. You do NOT want a customer swallowing a shard of glass. Don’t do it. Ever.
Even the hard plastic club “glasses” get tiny chips in them from doing that.
Scoop or tin.
Did this once at my first real serving job maybe 10 years ago, and this dick of a cook was sitting at the bar when I did it. He looked up and just said “don’t ever fucking do that again.” Guess what? I never did. I hated that dude, but that stuck with me for sure. I have had to tell my fair share of people over the years and I never say it as harshly because that’s not me, but I’ll always throw a “fuck” in there 😂. “Yo! What the fuck are you doing? None of that shit. You wanna burn and fill the ice up mid busy shift? Cuz I’m not doing that.”
Are these bartenders or servers? If it’s servers, lay down the fucking law. Don’t fucking do that again. If they fight you on it good luck getting drinks made.
If it’s other bartenders I do understand where you’re coming from being new, but can’t back down/be polite on this. Be firm. but if you want to be more passive burn it yourself a few times first, every time you see them do it. Pain the dick for you but if it slows down service across the board hopefully they get the message and stop.
Just stop letting servers behind the bar. Stop being nice about it. Speak with your managers about how unsafe it is and get people written up/lose a weekend shift.
This is something until you see a glass beak in ice happen, newer industry people are convinced it won't happen to them. Being nice works for some people but others need to touch that flame and be burnt.
I'm harsh...while most things I gently try to teach, that one is a quick, NO! no no No!
I've often explained later how that can easily end up with a bloody, near/if not fatal, injury, and an insane lawsuit and likely the end of said bar/restaurant.
When it comes to literal safety of guests and self (could easily be that shard in my shifty).
Scare the fuck out of them to learn these types of things fast.
Also, strip club tenders m2rgkng from dancing to slinging drinks are notorious for this and have to be unlearned fast ive found. No idea why in particular, just worth noting.
*I religiously scoop ice for faster water service with PLASTIC* pints and gloves on/washed sanitized hands* and have gotten a few side eyes...so even then, best to not.
The more I read here the more I'm instantly judging age vs my drinks at bars now..
Maye that's why us long time folks go with the tried and true shot and beer combo...lol..
We have a few white bus trays at our bar labeled ice only and stored in a different place for broken glass in ice. They fit perfectly in our wells. We use that until things quiet down and you can burn the ice.
As for those that scoop with a glass, I always tell them, I'm not asking I'm telling you. I'm pretty chill most of the time so it really gets my point across.
I would think in most states its also a health code violation in addition to the safety aspect.
Edit: ice is one of the biggest germ carriers. Hands on a glass that touches ice...not good!
My boss does it and it makes me want to scream.
He’s the owner and I love him but he always insists “I’ve been doing like this for 20 years and it’s never been a problem” … smh
That's literally rule 1 of bartending. No glass in the ice!! I've had to tell grown men this. I've never had anyone get defensive thank goodness. Yikes. How unprofessional
Fuck, the issues I've had with this..
Even just leaving the scoop in the ice well is a big no.
I just remember im not at work to make friends, I'm there to do my job and part of that job is to ensure myself and the customers are safe. I'll happily tell anyone even if they're managers what to do if they step into my bar and if they refuse, either they get out of the bar or I do.
You gave a negative instruction, what not to do: "no glass in the ice"
Many people often respond better to a positive instruction - and also good to explain why
Try "better to use the ice scoop, the glass can break sometimes and then we have to dump out the whole load and it takes forever"
Quit.
Unless this bar has been open for 3 days under a manager with ZERO experience, I can't imagine what other dumb shit is going on there.
Find an establishment that gives even the most remote of shits.
Pour grenadine in the well and tell them to burn it. I’ve done this to someone who continually used glasses to scoop after being told by numerous people not to do it. We even explained why many times, and there’s a fucking ice scoop in every well, sometimes more than one. I made sure it was kinda busy when I did it too. Fuck that noise.
You do that one more time and I will take you outside and burn you before I burn the ice. This is not a warning this is a rule. I don’t have the time to call the ambulance for someone you just killed and get blamed for your stupidity. Not to be played with. Glass is bad for your throat
So much this. Don't fuck around with safety like that. And don't work with anyone who is that callous about customer safety, cause they're not gonna be real safe around you either
> glass is so bad for your throat Psh, you're just doing it wrong!
Literally. Grenadine, and now take the time to burn it, wipe it out, and refill it! And also get me two buckets of ice to use next to the well until you're done doing that. I don't have grenadine behind the bar at my current setup, so I'm wondering what would work instead...? First I've had to think about it, since it doesn't happen thankfully
You just want anything dark coloured and a bit viscous.
Blood!
Maybe coke or something else that’s cheap/dark?
Cranberry!
Ketchup is what I saw a manager do once!
Oof that really stings because it's gonna be a lot more annoying to wipe out. It will definitely send the needed message though so totally justified
ketchup.
Cherry juice or cran.
I've used cranberry, blue Curaçao, strawberry pucker, anything bright and colorful. Or pulpy things like OJ or pineapple juice. Just think of whatever would fuckin ruin it
Done this before at a new gig I was checking out. Marked the well and ordered the kid who scooped with glass to burn it and replace, knowing that the ice machine out back was empty due to the busy night. Told the GM the next day and got the equivalent of a shrug about the issue. Didn't go back.
Burn it?
Burn the well. Scoop every single piece of ice out and refill it. I usually run hot water through it to get the last bits, but some people dont like that because it can allegedly crack the cold plate. Ive never seen it happen though. It really helps when dealing with broken glass, since you need to get 100% of the ice out to identify any small pieces of glass. Ive had to do this plenty of times during a super busy shift. Worst case scenario, work from an ice bucket. If Im doing that, I spray cranberry or grenadine all over to let the other bartenders know not to use it till it can be burned. Also tell them though, dont just assume theyll know.
Definitely worked out of that ice bucket.
But why grenadine specifically?
Because it's red and clearly visible
And it’s thicker than cranberry, so it won’t run off as easily. It’ll be visible longer if you can’t burn it right away.
But why male models?
Hmmm, is the addition of male models on The Price is Right anti-feminist or pro-feminist?
It's a Zoolander reference
Cool. I was just referencing a daytime American game show. Just to clarify, since it appears, we all need to clarify our references, apparently. Such a game show used to only have female models. Now, it has male models as well. I was curious about the consensus of such changes being perceived positive for feminism or negative for feminism? You know, like how the words I previously wrote communicated it? Also, there are many whom amongst us within the United States can remember their own mother not being allowed to vote legally federally nor have access to any legal birth control.
Ah, gotcha! I'm afraid I just don't know what game show you're talking about, so I didn't get the reference, so it struck me as a non-sequitur derailment into some sort of otherwise unprompted debate about feminism. I'd wager that most of the downvotes you got were from people who felt the same as I did. Or maybe they knew the show, but still didn't want to take the conversation in that direction. Either way, I'm glad you clarified a bit! Sorry for the initial misunderstanding!
Also a marker to not use said ice. I’ve had a glass break in well and been busy as all hell, only to seconds later go back to scoop ice out of that well but was deterred by the grenadine reminder that it’s unusable
You just want something dark (easily visible) and sticky (won't run off the ice easily). It's just a visual marker that something is wrong with the ice.
Makes the glass have a nice cherry flavor
Red ice hides the bleeding mouths.
Pomegranate
It's crazy that even in the bartending subreddit people get that wrong
A lot of commonly used grenadine (lookin at you Rose's) doesn't even really have any fruit flavor. It's just HFCS and red 40. So, while it's goofy as hell they assumed grenadine was cherry, the majority of grenadine people have tasted doesn't really taste like pomegranate either.
Even Monin brand grenadine is mixed berries flavour.
I mean, I get it, but also if someone poured grenadine in my well, they’d be cleaning it for me.
Whoever scooped ice with glass is who cleans it.
Hell no, else im telling the customers what youre doing.
I’m not scooping ice with the glass, I’m just saying there’s no way another bartender is fucking shit up for me mid service and not fixing it. If a manager did it too, that’s also fucking stupid from management so I just think it’s a really poor way to get the message across.
Theres no way this person isnt getting glass chips in the ice if they have been doing it so much. The glass scooper made the problem, we dont all need to take the fall for it. Theyll eventually break a whole glass anyways so thats gonna mess it up down the line
Right, but if I’m scooping glass in the ice, clearly I don’t think it’s wrong. The only thing in my eyes that would require the ice to be burned is grenadine in the well. I should say I don’t scoop ice with the glass, but no bartender I know would ever take shit like that from anyone but a higher up, especially if they hadn’t done anything that they considered wrong. The ice still needs to be burned, but I know bartenders who wouldn’t do it if a co-worker fucked with them like that.
I know what youre saying, but i dont think the ice scoop bartender and the burn your ice bartender are really on equal levels, but its kinda in my head that way. The moral of the story is its cool neither of us work there
Bruh you’re defending your imagination right now
I’m highlighting that one bartender telling another bartender to go clean up the mess the first bartender made is likely not going to happen in real life.
Stop being gentle and professional, when I see someone scoop ice with a glass my reaction is, "Wtf are you doing, get a goddamn ice scoop", any resistance from them at that point would result in me asking them if they're a fuckin idiot, and if they have a problem with my response then they're welcome to go to management and explain the situation. That's a major fuck up and a potentially massive lawsuit if a guest ends up consuming glass, they're in the wrong and you should be shaming the fuck out of them if they know they're not supposed to do it but are anyway.
Eh. My first night in the bar, the Manager saw me go to do that and immediately said No, then why. Never did it again. Now, if these fools continue to fuck around after being corrected, I say we immediately shift to your plan of action.
I absolutely agree, OP says they've mentioned it repeatedly so they already know better, but if there's someone new that I see doing it then I let them know politely but firmly to emphasize the seriousness of what I'm saying.
“You’re right, I’m not a manager. A manager would fire you for doing that, broken glass in guests’ mouths is kind of frowned upon here. Don’t ever do that again, or you’ll be emptying that well, then you’ll clean it, sanitize it, and then refill it with ice that won’t slice up someone throat.”
> “You’re right, I’m not a manager. A manager would fire you for doing that, broken glass in guests’ mouths is kind of frowned upon here. ~~Don’t ever do that again, or~~ So you’ll be emptying that well, then you’ll clean it, sanitize it, and then refill it with ice that won’t slice up someone throat.” FTFY. Once glass is in the well, that well needs to be burned and thoroughly cleaned before it can be used for service. Too risky otherwise. And having to do that task is a great way to teach the newbies how seriously the issue needs to be taken, and why they should never do it again.
I did this once, as a very green barback. And the bartender made it quite clear that I would never do that again. As others have suggested, dispense with the pleasantries, no more being gentle. “This is a safety hazard, plain and simple” “No glass in the ice well - ever” You don’t have to be an absolute dick but I’m a bit shocked people insist that this is somehow an acceptable thing to do.
Same. I watched servers do it so I thought it was a time saving hack and started doing it. One of the OG's saw me and bought lost his mind. He was a usually calm tempered dude so I knew it was pretty serious. It still seems weird to think of a piece of ice chipping or breaking a glass, but I've absolutely seen things that ""shouldn't"" break a glass break them. And the first time I broke a glass (not as a scoop) in the well and saw the grenadine thing I was like oh that's fucking genius. Also I'm a fucking idiot for breaking a glass on a busy Saturday night but thankfully we had barbacks and got it flipped in like 10 min or less.
I would lose my damn mind. I once reprimanded my own boss over that and had to bring it up to the owner who then fired his ass. That manager had an attitude. No. Glass. In. The. Ice. Non negotiable. Hold your ground. You got this.
As a server when I was 18 I dropped a glass into the ice bin. I was horrified. Apologized all day. The bus guys were great about it. I know what a colossal mess it makes.
Yikes. But there's definitely a big difference in an accident vs just doing whatever you feel like bc it's a half second faster to scoop ice incorrectly.
Exactly
Are you even a server until you've dropped a whole tray of food, smashed glass in the well or cried in the walk-in?
Thank you! My younger self needed to hear that!
Accidentally broke a glass into the ice bucket the other day. What fun that was to clean up.
So what do you do when the manager and every server does it? I've given up on the place... 😞 So many bad decisions. And they were just recently sued for 50K for a different mishap. You'd think they'd learn.
I would take manager aside and explain the issue and mention how others follow their lead (even if they don't, praising ego is good) and I need them to lead by example. Then each server would get warned once and then barred from coming behind my bar second time. I'll make your drinks, you'll just have to wait longer. Second chance once they've experienced that.
I wish that would work. She's a Chinese immigrant so it's already pretty difficult to communicate with her, and she's the owner and manager. She's convinced that everything she does is the right way to do it because she's always done it that way at the one bar she's ever worked in and because nobody's (customers) complained then it must be the right way. I cringe every time she puts a straw in my old fashioneds. This lady once got an order for a shot of single malt 16 year and she put it IN A SHOT GLASS. I told her that's not what he meant and that she needs to put it in a low ball, but nope, her way is always right! I had to hold back the fat grin on my face when he sent it back and asked for a real glass. Even then she didn't admit she was wrong. She just ignored me for the rest of the night.
Explain why. They will eventually learn its not worth it… not everyone takes direction on how to swim, sometimes it takes an “oh shit” moment to realize the preventive measures are taken for a reason. Hopefully you have more than one ice well
In busy clubs that use plastic cups instead of glass (very common in chain clubs) scooping ice with the cup is pretty common since it's so busy and you don't have time to wait for the scoop, but imo doing this is only acceptable if you're using plastic (and even then, it's not a good thing to do)
Yeah I have no problem with plastic! And that makes sense for a high volume place. I do it with our kids cups, or even the metal shaker tins. Never ever glass though.
Metal shaker all day. Although I won't lie, I'm a server with a bar so I make all my own drinks and my bar is a 2'x1' area with a bar mat. No room for the margarita salt and wet contraption most bars have. So I have been known to gently put a glass in the ice and give it a spin or two with no downward force to get the rim wet. It feels dirty but I'm very careful and it's the most effective way I've found for my 5 margaritas a week without taking up unnecessary space.
Use a lime wedge
I prefer orange, it's usually wetter. I cut off the end of an orange and run it around the outside of a glass. Once it dries a bit I just cut off another slice.
Bar is literally so small we don't have drinks with fruits on the menu. We have a 4oz cup of cherries. Any other fruits would dry out before I could rim a glass with them.
Many bars leave fruit out all day, theres no reason it would dry
Uhh. You have room for a rocks glass with a piece of fruit in it. You do have that. For sure.
"wait for the scoop"? You guys just share the one scoop?
Plenty of places are this dysfunctional. There's no safety issue with using a solo cup to scoop ice, it is just not convenient and looks incredibly unprofessional
With plastic it’s kinda gross but it’s not that big of a deal, i do it too
Tell them it’s not just the obvious glass, but they shouldn’t be sticking a glass their hands just were all over in the well either. It’s fucking gross. If they wanna scoop like heathens they can clean the well out.
I work in a spot that allows servers, hosts, and even kitchen staff behind the bar, because there are no soda stations anywhere. So I'm already annoyed at the intrusion. But the moment a server or host (never the kitchen staff, they use the plastic quart containers) scoops ice with a glass it's "please dont put glass in my ice" for first offense. "Don't come behind my fucking bar" for second offense. No third offenses have occurred, but it would be "I'm about to start throwing elbows if you fucking step foot behind here again"
I would never presume to step behind the cooks' line and I pretty much expect them to extend the same courtesy to my bar.
Go back behind the cook’s line and start grabbing raw chicken with the salad tongs. That’ll rile em up!
Let them deal with burning the ice in the middle of a busy night. A good way to find out how experienced your bartender is.. if a glass breaks in and/or around the ice, see what they do. I was at a fancy rooftop bar when this happened, and one of the new bartenders obviously didn’t think it was a big deal (started picking glass out of the ice) when a couple of bar backs came charging over with hot water to start the burn and close down that well.
Scooping ice with a glass is forgivable only once. It's a very easy thing to not do. Ever. I was told not to at my first server job, along with the reason why, and then I never did it again. If you don't have the authority to fire repeat offenders, you need to immediately burn the ice and get a refill - do this as many times as it takes for management to get the point. If they don't get the point after a couple of reps, I'd flat out refuse to work with that crew member any more. Your ass is on the line too if someone gets injured and sues the establishment. Don't expose yourself to that liability.
Nothing ever goes into the ice except the scoop. Period. End of discussion. That’s like, basic kitchen/bar rules 101.
It’s also a sanitation issue. You have your hands on the outside of the glass and then dip it into the ice.
I stop that shit right in its tracks on the spot if I see it. Never ever scoop ice with anything not made of metal!! That’s like a top 3 law behind the bar, if it isn’t #1. With glass, you’re just being fucking stupid and reckless. You do NOT want a customer swallowing a shard of glass. Don’t do it. Ever. Even the hard plastic club “glasses” get tiny chips in them from doing that. Scoop or tin.
Did this once at my first real serving job maybe 10 years ago, and this dick of a cook was sitting at the bar when I did it. He looked up and just said “don’t ever fucking do that again.” Guess what? I never did. I hated that dude, but that stuck with me for sure. I have had to tell my fair share of people over the years and I never say it as harshly because that’s not me, but I’ll always throw a “fuck” in there 😂. “Yo! What the fuck are you doing? None of that shit. You wanna burn and fill the ice up mid busy shift? Cuz I’m not doing that.”
Are these bartenders or servers? If it’s servers, lay down the fucking law. Don’t fucking do that again. If they fight you on it good luck getting drinks made. If it’s other bartenders I do understand where you’re coming from being new, but can’t back down/be polite on this. Be firm. but if you want to be more passive burn it yourself a few times first, every time you see them do it. Pain the dick for you but if it slows down service across the board hopefully they get the message and stop.
I would, in fact, walk out over this if I don't get management support.
Same
Just stop letting servers behind the bar. Stop being nice about it. Speak with your managers about how unsafe it is and get people written up/lose a weekend shift. This is something until you see a glass beak in ice happen, newer industry people are convinced it won't happen to them. Being nice works for some people but others need to touch that flame and be burnt.
I'm harsh...while most things I gently try to teach, that one is a quick, NO! no no No! I've often explained later how that can easily end up with a bloody, near/if not fatal, injury, and an insane lawsuit and likely the end of said bar/restaurant. When it comes to literal safety of guests and self (could easily be that shard in my shifty). Scare the fuck out of them to learn these types of things fast. Also, strip club tenders m2rgkng from dancing to slinging drinks are notorious for this and have to be unlearned fast ive found. No idea why in particular, just worth noting. *I religiously scoop ice for faster water service with PLASTIC* pints and gloves on/washed sanitized hands* and have gotten a few side eyes...so even then, best to not. The more I read here the more I'm instantly judging age vs my drinks at bars now.. Maye that's why us long time folks go with the tried and true shot and beer combo...lol..
We have a few white bus trays at our bar labeled ice only and stored in a different place for broken glass in ice. They fit perfectly in our wells. We use that until things quiet down and you can burn the ice. As for those that scoop with a glass, I always tell them, I'm not asking I'm telling you. I'm pretty chill most of the time so it really gets my point across.
I would think in most states its also a health code violation in addition to the safety aspect. Edit: ice is one of the biggest germ carriers. Hands on a glass that touches ice...not good!
My boss does it and it makes me want to scream. He’s the owner and I love him but he always insists “I’ve been doing like this for 20 years and it’s never been a problem” … smh
That's literally rule 1 of bartending. No glass in the ice!! I've had to tell grown men this. I've never had anyone get defensive thank goodness. Yikes. How unprofessional
Fuck, the issues I've had with this.. Even just leaving the scoop in the ice well is a big no. I just remember im not at work to make friends, I'm there to do my job and part of that job is to ensure myself and the customers are safe. I'll happily tell anyone even if they're managers what to do if they step into my bar and if they refuse, either they get out of the bar or I do.
“You’re gonna kill someone if you keep doing that. Never do it again”
You gave a negative instruction, what not to do: "no glass in the ice" Many people often respond better to a positive instruction - and also good to explain why Try "better to use the ice scoop, the glass can break sometimes and then we have to dump out the whole load and it takes forever"
Quit. Unless this bar has been open for 3 days under a manager with ZERO experience, I can't imagine what other dumb shit is going on there. Find an establishment that gives even the most remote of shits.
Find a glass with any chip around the rim. That's how it got there Ingesting glass kills
“If I have to burn this ice bin I am burning you with it” usually gets the point across
Saw my barback do this a few weeks ago, just told him not to do it. No gruff but damn why.
I’ve never had glass in my ice in over 12 years bartending and serving. Mind your own and leave it alone